An interesting "question"/"issue", to s

I saw a post at another forum, it goes as follows:

"
LQ 於 2005/01/05 09:44:56 發表在 漢英03
參加英文翻譯組的人員中有兩位來自外交部，一位是前外交部翻譯室主任、駐外大使、現外交部翻譯室特聘專家，另一位是副司級外交官，他們都具有豐富的翻譯經驗。特別是十六大報告中關於外交部分的譯文，他們起了把關的作用。給我印象最深的是，他們說，「台灣問題」應譯為the question of Taiwan 或the Taiwan question，絕對不可譯為 the issue of Taiwan或 the Taiwan issue。解決台灣問題、實現祖國的完全統一是不容討論的，不容任何國家和外來勢力的干涉。據美國韋氏詞典，issue的相關含義恰恰是 a point, matter, or question to be disputed or decided。毫無疑問，我們不能在這裡使用issue這個詞。「台灣問題」譯為 the question of Taiwan或 the Taiwan question是規範的譯法。當翻譯涉及敏感的政治問題時，我們必須慎之又慎。[原文見樓下sheikh的引文]
如果真按照這位領導的旨意翻了，過一會兒另外一位領導又會拿著字典來找你了。
因為根據下面的Ramdom House的解釋[請見7]，譯成question更可拍，那豈不是讓台灣公投么？
2. a problem for discussion or under discussion; a matter for investigation.
3. a matter of some uncertainty or difficulty; problem (usually fol. by of)
4. a subject of dispute or controversy.
5. a proposal to be debated or voted on, as in a meeting or a deliberative assembly.
6. the procedure of putting a proposal to vote.
7. Politics. a problem of public policy submitted to the voters for an expression of opinion [/COLOR] "
  
My comments are as follows:
This is one of the instances where dictionaries can help but are not sufficient.There is considerable overlap between "issue" and "question", and the two are used inter-changeably.
  Here, however, the key is the difference in usage, that's what dictionaries don't tell you. You have to rely on the sense you have developed for the subtle shades of differences between very silimar words.
  When Hamlet says "To be, or not to be: that is the question", he means it's a challenge awaiting his decision (not inviting 公投). If he says "issue", he'd be inviting debate.

I checked with the Webster's (printed and online) that either the word "issue" or the owrd "question" led to an interpretation as something debatable or disputable. I then began to suspect the problem might be in the Chinese word 問題, at least partially. The following was an excerpt from a Chinese dictionary:

現代漢語詞典（社會科學院語言研究所）
問題
1。 要求回答或解釋的題目
2。 需要研究討論並加以解決的矛盾，疑難
3。 關鍵，重要之點
4。 事故或意外

Here, the second definition clearly indicated that the word 問題 could be interpreted as something  controversial and debatable.

I also checked with 漢英詞典（北京外國語學院英語系）. It interpreted 問題 as (1) quesiton; problem; issue; and (2) trouble; mishap). Among the examples given for the first definition were "an outstanding issue" for "懸而未決的問題" and "a question (or matter) of principle" for "原則問題".

It seemed that "Taiwan question" was really meant for a question of principle not a disputable issue.
[:493:]

References:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dicti ... ionary&va=issue
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dicti ... ary&va=question